Washing machine



R. J. WATERWORTH ,891,339

WASHING MACHINE I Filed Oct. 8. 1930 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 I Jrwm ROBERTJ:WATERWORTH,

Patented Dec. 20, 1932 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE ROBERT J'TWATERWORTH,OF SIDNEY, OHIO, ASSIGNOR TO PRIMA MANUFACTURING COMPANY, INC., OFSIDNEY, OHIO, A CORPORATION OF OHIO WASHING MACHINE Application filedOctober 8, 1930. Serial No. 487,159;

This invention relates to improvements in washing machines, and has forits ob ect the provision of an agitator adapted to create a highpressure current at the bottom of the tub so that the current will passfrom the center outwards andupward, and return to the center of theagitator at the top of the water line. And at the same time the water isthus being forced to travel currents are formed in the shape of atwisted figure eight, alternat .g from one side to the other as thewater ascends from the bottom to the top and from the top back to thebottom. This movement of the water within the tub is accomplished bymeans of compound curved blades or finscast integral with the centralpillar.

It is particularly the object of this invention to provide, inconnection with an oscillating pillar, a plurality of integral vanes orfins so shaped that the water within the tub agitated by the pillar andthe fins, is given a peculiar circulatory path in such a manner that theclothes within the tub are thoroughly agitated and the water driven backand forth through the clothes and the clothes through the water. I I

It is also an object of this invention to. provide, in connection with awashing machine, a pillar or dolly so constructed that the clothes willnot become entangled between the dolly and a part of the tub.

It is also an object of this invention to provide a dolly or agitator soconstructed that the clothes will be prevented from formingpiles orknots, but will be spread apart and kept open so that the water may beeasily forced therethrough for cleansing purposes.

These and other advantages will appear from the following descriptiontaken in connection with the drawings.

Referring to the drawings:

Figure l is a vertical section through the agitator and the supporttherefor, showing the tub partly in section.

Figure 2 is a top plan view of the tub showing by arrows the movement ofthe water in the initial stage of operation. In this figure the dolly isshown to be turning anticlockwise.

' In Figure 3 a View is shown similar to that of Figure 2 with theexception that the dolly is moving clockwise, and showing the manner inwhich the water is agitated.

Figure 4 is a section through the washing machine as shown in Figure 2.

Figure 5 is a section through the washing machine as shown in Figure 3.v

In this machine there is the usual tub 1, which has the usual opening inthe center of the bottom for an operating sh aft. Around this openingand extending upwardly from the bottom of the tub is an agitator support2, tubular in shape having a base attached to the bottom of the tub bymeans of screws 23. The heads of these screws have lead wash ers 4between them and the agitator support.

N ear the lower end of the agitator support there is formed a ball race5 used for supporting the dolly for easy and free rotation oroscillation about the agitator support. At the upper end of the agitatorsupport and within the walls thereof is a bearing 6, while on theoutside of the upper end of the agitator support and adjacent thebearing 6 is a raised or steadying member 7 Extending upwardly throughthe agitator support is an operating shaft 8 which has on the upper endthereof a coupling 9 fastened thereto by means of a pin 10 passingthrough suitable holes in these two members.

On the upper end of the coupling 9 is a cavity in which there is a feltwasher 11.

The upper surface of this washer is flush with the upper surface of thecoupling. The con-- pling is circular in shape and has extendingdownwardly therethrou-gh a plurality of holes 12. adapted to receiveclutch pins.

Mounted up n the coupling is an agitator pilplates are of any suitableshape, substantially an agitator cap 17 screw threaded thereto to form ahousing in which there is located the clutch mechanism for connectingthe operating shaft to the dolly. On the upper end. of each of theclutch pins are two plates 18 spaced vertically from each other. Theseround, and have around the periphery thereof, between them, a cluth ring19 in the form head 14, and when these holes are in proper alignmentwith each other the pins may be pushed downward so that they will passbelow the head 14 and project into the holes 12 m the coupling member.When the pins are thus positioned the rotation of the shaft 8 will causea rotation of the dolly.

In order to move the .clutch cone up and down to operate the clutch pinsthere is provided on the upper end thereof a clutch knob 21. By pressingdown on this knob the clutch cone is caused to snap by the clutch ringand thereby shift the position of the pins. By pushing down on the knob21 the spring, after it passes beyond the bulge of the clutch cone,causes the plates 18 to rise and carry with them the pins so that theparts are unclutched and the shaft can rotate or oscillate withoutoperating the dolly or agltator.

Within the head 14 and properly supported thereby is a guide washer 22.This washer has a hole in the center thereof toreceive the lower end ofan operating rod for the clutch cone so that as the clutch is operatedup and down the lower end is guided and held in proper position by theguide washer. The support end of this rod is held by the agitator ca Inorder to prevent the removal of the dolly or agitator from the agitatorsupport there is provided a pilot screw 23. This screw passes throughthe wall of the agitator and fits beneath the head part of the couphng.When the screw is in the position shown in Figure 1 the dolly cannot beremoved from the coupling and the shaft. Cooperating with the ball race5 is a second ball race 24 attached to the lower part of the dolly.These two sections form a ball race in which rare balls 25. These ballsprovide anti-friction means so the dolly will oscillate freely on thedolly'support and at the same time the upper part of the dolly will beguided by the part 7 so that there is no wobbling. 26 is a re-' tainingring for holding the ball race 24 in place. Extending laterally from thedolly are blades or vanes or fins 27. These blades extend upwardly andoutwardly from the side of the dolly and have on their peripheries beads28.

It. is the design of this agitator to-create a high pressure current atthe bottom ofthe tub from the center outwards and upwards, and return tothe center of the agitator at the top of the water line. At the sametime,

from which\ the blades or fins extend. The

lower end of the pillar has extending therefrom the lower edges of theagitator blades or fins from which they extend outwardly and upwardly,as shown in Figure 1.

It will be observed from an examination of Figure 1 that the upper edgesof the blades are more nearly horizontal than the lower edges are. Infact, the lower edges of the blades or the bead thereon extend from thelower edge of the pillar upwardly at substantially an angle offorty-five degrees. By this means whenever the dolly is caused tooscillate the vanes or fins produce an agitation within the water in thetub. The agitator thus operated creates a high pressure current at thebottom of the agitator,-passing from the center outwardly and upwardly,and re-- turning to the center of the agitator at the top of the waterline. The peculiar shape of the lower parts of the fins causesthethorough agitation of the water within the bottom of the tub so that asthe fins oscillate the water is driven downwardly and outwardly throughthe top of the water within the tub and back toward the center of theoscillation.

In Figure 2 there is shown, by means of arrows, the direction ofmovement of the was ter in the tub on the initial operation of thedolly. As the dolly begins to rotate the water is directed substantiallyin one direction, with a movement of the water downward, up the sidesand back toward the center at the top of the water line, as shown inFigure-4. The movement here is anti-clockwise. When the dolly is given asecond motion, in an opposite direction or clockwise, the water isagitated substantially as shown in Figure 3. In this operation the wateris given a circulatory motion, similar to a roughly formed or distortedfigure eight. This direction of movement of the water is indicated bylines and arrows in Figure 5. This continued operation, the repeating ofthe clockwise and anti-clockwise movements, repeats one after anotherthese successive movements, so that the water is thoroughly agitated anddriven through the clothes, and the clothes through the water.

In the illustration shown in Figure 2, the movement of the water viewedfrom above when the agitator makes its first movement counterclockwise,the water is all thrown counterclockwise for the duration of thatstroke. On the surface it is flowing counterclockwise. At the bottom itis tending to be forced upwardly by the peculiar shape of the blades orvanes.

In Figure 3 there is shown in plan view the position the water assumeswhen the agitator reverses and oscillates clockwise. A part of the waterassumes a curved clockwise direction. Part of it is thrown intoturbulence,

as shown by the arrow lines. At this time an upward movement has beenproduced at the base end of the agitator in the bottom of the tub, andas the water ascends towards and reaches the top it is then carriedinward, due. to the vortex formed. The water leaves the bottom at therighthand blade, as shown in Figures 1, 4 and 5, and passes upwardlyacross the tub and into the vortex at the center.

While this has been happeningthis stroke has been completed and thelefthand blade impinges the water, and'the same action is carried onwith the exception that the water while traveling outwardly, upwardlyand in wardly is also forced todescribe a helical path. This actionturns the garments around, end for end and over,.causing them to floatout flat, then .oollap-se again, and float out flat again, and the highpressure of the current is swept through the fabric openings cleansingsaid garments very etficiently.

The extreme lower end of the pillar or dolly is formed into asubstantially vertical apron member 29 which loosely fits around-thebase of the agitator support and extends to the bottom of the tub, sothat clothes being washed cannot get between the apron and the bottom ofthe tub. A clearance is left between the lower end of the pillar ordolly and the a ron 29. v 4 I esire tocomprehend within my inven tionsuch modifications as may be clearly embraced within my claims and thescope of my invention.

Having thus fully described my invention,

what I claim is new and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is;

1. In a washing mabhine in combination with a tub, a bell-shapedagitator extending to the bottom of the tub adapted to oscillate in thetub and consisting of a doll stem havingia plurality of triangularlyaped radiatlng vanes extending t per edge of each vane being substantiay parallel to the bottom of the tub, the lower edge of each vane beingat substantially forty-five degrees to the bottom of the tub,

the outer periphery of each vane having a" bead thereon. J L J 2. In awashing machine in combination 05 with a tub,a bell-shaped agitatorextending to the bottom of the tub adapted to oscillate I ing aplurality of triangularly sha ed vanes extending therefrom, the outerpenphery of each vane having a bead thereon and one side ofeach 'vaneextending from the lower periphery of the dolly stem.

4. In a washing machine in combination with a tub, a bell-shapedagitator extending the tub and consisting of a dolly stem having aplurality of triangularly shaped vanes extending therefrom, the outerperiphery of each vane having a bead thereon and one side of each vaneextending from the lower periphery of the dolly stem and at an obliqueangle to the bottom of the tub.

5. In a washing machine in combination with atub, an agitator adapted tooscillate in the tub and consisting. of a bell-shaped dolly stem havinga plurality of triangularly shaped vanes extending therefrom with theupper edges substantially horizontal, the

'to the bottom of the tub adapted to oscillate in outer periphery ofeach vane having a-bea'd thereon and one side of each vane extendingfrom the lower periphery of the doll stem grees to the bottom of thetub.

6. In a washing machine, a contain awashing fluid,a stem gradualysloping at its top and more rapidlysloping at its bottom from thevertical to form, a bellmo and at an angle of substantially fortyvedetub ada ted to I shaped base pivotally mountedin said tub J forvertical rotation-adjacent the bottom of the tub, beaded vanes havin--substantially horizontal upper edges on sai stem, the lower edge ofeach vane extending from adjacent the bottom of the tub upward towardthe sides of the tub at an angle of about -fortyfive degrees andadapted,- in cooperation with the. bell-shaped downward and fluid.

In testimony whereof, I aflix my signature.

ROBERT J. WATERWORTH.

part of the stem, to give a pward movement'to the erefrom and the u

